Gateways:

Share This Page

Fehima Dawy

Fehima Dawyconsiders herself passionate, genuine, outspoken, goofy and thoughtful. The anthropology major was a biology lab assistant, a resident assistant, a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority and studied abroad in India. She says her Southwestern Experience was transformative and, as a result, sees her future as limitless.

Lesson learned at/from SU?I learned that everyone has something to contribute and that life is about finding the good in yourself and in the things around you.

In your opinion, what makes SU special?
As a first generation college student, I came to college alone in a lot of ways. But when I got to Southwestern, I found a support system of professors and friends who encouraged me to accomplish my dreams.

What advice do you have for an incoming first-year?If you think you know what you want to do, take classes outside of that; it might just change your path. I had never even heard of anthropology before I decided to take it for a social science credit; once I did, I was hooked!

How will you stay connected with SU?I know that wherever I am, I will keep the friends I made at Southwestern. They’re not just college friends, they’re life friends.

Was there a particular class or teacher that inspired you?“Meljohn,” Dr. Melissa Johnson, associate professor of anthropology, inspires me to “be the change I wish to see in the world,” as Gandhi says. She has impacted my life in a way greater than she could ever imagine.

Do you have any fun, embarrassing or quirky stories about campus life?I fell off of a pirate bike every year, without fail.

What else?While I was studying in India, I did research on how breast cancer survivors acclimated to post-cancer Indian expectations. It changed my life.

Fehima now works for the risk management department at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, and is applying to medical school. She has connected Dr. Maria Todd, associate professor of biology, with the Sanjeevani-Life Beyond Cancer organization in India, resulting in a plan for Southwestern’s Global Health Paideia cluster to raise money and write letters for breast cancer patients in Mumbai, India. Fehima says, “This is officially the thing I am most proud of.”